Time for another Feedback Friday! Still not a whole lot to work with – seriously, I see you reading, tell me something! – so I’m going to use space this week to ramble a little bit. You brought this on yourself.
First of all, can I just talk for a second about the 50 Shades movie casting? I promised myself I wasn’t going to think about this, since I have no intention of seeing the movie (reading the books was quite enough), but I can’t get away from the comments and vitriol and OHMYGODANGST that are all over the net – STILL – and listen people. You are ruining Charlie Hunnam for me. I think he’s a talented guy, I enjoy watching him bring Jax Teller to life on Sons, and he’s attractive. (I’m being careful; my husband reads this. Dude is nice to look at, is all I’m saying.) Christian Grey? Neither talented nor attractive. Honestly, I’ve always pictured him as a Patrick Bateman-esque dead-eyed psycho. Like so:
Credit: Tumblr
That guy looks like he’d beat the shit out of you with his belt and call it sex, doesn’t he? But this guy?
Would that guy spank you? Fuck yes he would. Oh…I mean, sure, I can see that. But is he a creepy millionaire who gets off on mentally and physically abusing his Mommy girlfriend? No, I don’t think so. I’m not feeling it.
I was going to say that I don’t even know why I care about this, but I do: Charlie Hunnam’s face is now going to be what my mind conjures up when it thinks about these books and this piece of shit “hero” character. Which means his face is now going to be associated with hate in my head. I don’t want to hate Charlie. I love Charlie.
Sigh.
Second of all, Harlequin is getting ready to launch So You Think You Can Write, an online writing conference and contest. Day One starts this Monday, 9/16, and the week is devoted to writing exercises, podcasts, tips and advice from Harlequin editors and lots of other cool stuff. If you write romance and have a complete manuscript, check out the contest guidelines, as they’re looking to award a book contract to the winner. In checking around, it appears they offered contracts last year to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners, as well as to a few other entrants who didn’t place but still had great work. I’m pretty bummed that I can’t participate in the contest part, but unfortunately there’s no way I can finish my manuscript-in-progress in time for the deadline. Maybe next year!
Finally, are we freaking ready for The Walking Dead? I AM. AMC released an extended trailer for Season 4, and I don’t even know how to get through another month. So excited! And not just for Daryl Dixon.
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
This week I was going to recommend Kate Hilton’s Hole in the Middle, which I read a few months ago and loved; when I went searching for a link, though, I saw that it was no longer available for purchase. I was horrified briefly, as Hilton published the book herself through Amazon’s self-publishing platform and I thought she yanked it for sad writerly reasons. However, it turns out there are much better reasons: apparently Hilton got a contract through HarperCollins, and they’re slated to release the book in December. Good for her! That right there is the dream, and I’m thrilled on her behalf; the book really was fantastic. So keep an eye out for that in a few months.
Since I’d prefer to give you a rec you can read right now, as opposed to one you have to wait for, I’m going to go with Wicked Cravings. Now, listen: it’s a paranormal romance. About shapeshifters. Yes. I know. I was skeptical going in, given I’d never read one before, but they’re hugely popular and it pays to know what’s going on in this industry. That said, I actually liked it. I think it’s fairly obvious what the deal is: they’re people, but also wolves, and they have sex. As people, for what that’s worth. It’s pretty hot, if I’m being completely honest. Wicked Cravings is the second book in a series; I didn’t read the first one, but I had no trouble keeping up with what was going on, since each book focuses on a different pair and background information from the previous book stays, well, in the background. It’s not high literature, and there were some points I didn’t like (the main female character is quite crass, in an immature way, and there are so many different kinds of shapeshifters that my eyes started to roll just a little bit), but for a fluffy weekend read? Worth the few bucks.
Happy reading, and see you Sunday!
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Is it too late for Charlie to back out? That crap shouldn’t even be made into a movie.
I agree wholeheartedly with you about the casting of “50 Shades.” While I don’t watch “Sons” (I know, what am I doing with my life?), I liked Charlie Hunnam in “Pacific Rim” (note that I did not say I *liked* “Pacific Rim”). Why do they need to take that away?
I also wonder why I spend time caring about who is going to be in that movie. Energy better spent movie-casting your story in my head!
I haven’t seen Pacific Rim, but I suspect I’d like Charlie in anything.
Now I’m curious who would play the various parts in my movie! I don’t know who I would pick; that could be a fun exercise for me to try for next week.